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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — shares
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pit — a hole
  21. sharp — clever
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com